SPORTS SAFETY IQ is a blog whose mission is to shed light on the shocking, ridiculous and unimaginable reality of what can happen (and does happen) to kids playing sports -- so that parents, coaches and athletes can avoid the hidden dangers and enjoy their sports experience.

January 29, 2008

Steroids and Girls, Spring Break and Athletes

Parents and coaches, take heed. The Sports Safety IQ tip for this week is that news on steroid use and abuse is breaking daily and you need to keep up. I have run into no fewer than nine different steroid stories recently that have left my head spinning.

Story #1: I picked up these eye-openers at the US Lacrosse National Convention, where I sat in on the Sports Science & Safety committee meeting where I learned that the fastest growing group of steroid users is teenage girls. The majority of these girls are not using PED's for athletic purposes, but simply as a diet aid to achieve a lean, muscled physique. Read on at Forbes.com, "Many Teen Girls Use Steroids."

Story #2: I then learned that steroid use among teens and college students peaks in the month before spring break. Kids are looking at steroids as just another boost to their daily regimen of Starbucks, Red Bull and those handfuls of health-food store supplements (whose health benefits are dubious at best).

Story #3: A news report from the U.K. stated that steroid users are now surpassing heroin addicts at local needle exchanges. If steroid users increasingly turn to needles, then we can add HIV and hepatitis to the long list of life-threatening health risks.

Story #4: In New York City last week Bob Costas moderated a debate on the ethics of whether or not PED's should be allowed in sports. The results were inconclusive, but I was disappointed to see stronger arguments made in favor of allowing PED's and steroids than there were to support a continued ban. All I have to say is that steroids and PED's are a short term fix that can lead to lifelong health complications and even death for users. If we allow them into professional sports, we are basically giving our stamp of approval and putting our kids at great risk. For more on the debate, read Sarah Schorno's blog in The Sporting News.

Stories #5 - 9: There are so many layers to the steroid story at the moment, even the NY Times is having a hard time staying on top of it all. In last Sunday's Week in Review, the Times headlined five breaking stories in its report, "Performance Enhancement" (Jan. 20, 2008). Laid out across the top of the page were the following:

Story #5: Major League Baseball is criticized by two Olympic anti-doping agencies for its lack of urgency and decisiveness in responding to the continuing and escalating steroid problem in baseball.

Story #6: Steroids spill over into the music world. Mary J. Blige, Timbaland and 50 Cent, among others, have been implicated as recipients of performance enhancing drugs in an inquiry by the Albany County's DA's Office. 50 Cent, at left, shows off his ripped abs -- are they home grown or chemically enhanced?

Story #7: Marion Jones is stripped of her Olympic medals and faces a six-month jail sentence for lying to investigators about her use of steroids.

Story #8: The list of athletes testing positive for banned substances continues to grow. Recent tests on a Golden Gloves champion from New York and a Russian world record holder in Hammer throw indicated the presence of banned stimulants.

Story #9: ... And the list goes on. As many as 50 cyclists are under investigation by the Italian Olympic Committee for blood doping. If found guilty, they may be banned from riding in Italy and face other sanctions. This could also affect riders in the Tour de France, which passes through Italy.

If you didn't realize it before, you now know that steroids are everywhere. They are being used, bought, sold, talked about, debated and marketed on the street, at school, at the gym and on line. And your kids know it. We've got to continue to educate our kids on the dangers of steroids, make sure they know that we are aware, try to minimize the opportunity for kids to get or use these (and other) drugs, encourage random drug testing in schools and stay vigilant. It's the only way to keep our kids safe.